thanks for the quick reply! i did read that instruction and had some trouble understanding it based on how it was phrased, but i think i get it now.
i also figured out what the issue was: i think i somehow broke the teeth when i put them in (i didn't realize you could do that), and it was the only set of teeth i had, effectively softlocking me. probably happened when i was spamming the z button (a lack of gabapentin makes selecting things very difficult)